


Orphansong

by Becky_Blue_Eyes



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Father-Son Relationship, Fatherhood, Fix-It, Gen, Introspection, LUKE TURN THAT X WING AROUND AND GO GET DIN, Orphans, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:13:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28154436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Becky_Blue_Eyes/pseuds/Becky_Blue_Eyes
Summary: All children need their parents; all sons need their fathers. And Luke is one of those unfortunate few blessed with the agony of losing not just one father, not just one mother, but two of each. And when the man who holds the child—little Grogu whose heart is so full of love and fear—gives the child to Luke anyway despite the tears budding in his eyes…the Force sings its bleeding orphansong, the song Luke knows too well.Or, what really ought to have happened at the end of The Rescue. Spoilers for The Mandalorian Chapter 16!
Relationships: Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV) & Din Djarin
Comments: 72
Kudos: 458





	Orphansong

**Author's Note:**

> Raise your hand if Jon Favreau has personally attacked you cuz it’s 9:51 am and I really am still struggling over not crying about a sad space dad and his adopted son hkghfkdhvhdfkd

From the moment he felt that poor child reach out to him from the Seeing Stone, Luke knew he had to answer. Never mind that he was still setting up a foundation for new Jedi from the ashes of what his father helped destroy, never mind that Leia needed him at her side more than ever with the New Republic struggling to assert itself in the galaxy. Never mind that Luke was still unsure of what he was doing was the right way, with all of his mentors dead.

One does not simply ignore a cry of help, not when he still has strength in his body.

His lightsaber sings in the Force in all the ways it never did on Bespin so long ago. These droids, despite their brute force, are nothing before his own. He flinches when their red eyes seek his out. Did the Imperial remnant know what they were doing when they designed these droids? A crude facsimile of his father’s helmet, of the monster Anakin Skywalker became before he returned to the Light and died in the process. Luke crushes one with his hand as if crushing scrap metal, and he wonders what he must look like. If there had been humans in these black armor shells, would they see Luke Skywalker? Or his father before him?

It doesn’t matter now, not really.

But maybe it does. Because when he enters the bridge and finds the child who reached out to him, the child is not alone. Mayne friends, one enemy, and the child’s father. His father. Blood ties matter not to the heart, to the way the Force connects the two so sweetly and sadly. After all, Luke was never Uncle Owen’s blood nephew, and yet he was his son all the same. If only he knew that before it was too late, before Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru were taken away from him before he could tell him he loved one just one more time.

This father does not tell the child he loves him. Instead, he takes off his helmet, and Luke feels the shock radiate from the others on the bridge. Ah, the father is a Mandalorian, they do not take off their hemlets so lightly. And the way the child touches his face, and the grief that shudders through him—it strikes Luke through the heart like a beskar spear.

All children need their parents; all sons need their fathers. And Luke is one of those unfortunate few blessed with the agony of losing not just one father, not just one mother, but two of each. And when that trembling man who holds the child—little Grogu whose heart is so full of love and fear—gives the child to Luke anyway despite the tears budding in his eyes…the Force sings its bleeding orphansong, the song Luke knows too well.

Who is Luke to do to this family what was done to his own?

What if Anakin was able to raise Luke and Leia together, with their mother Padmé who only Leia remembers? Would he have become Darth Vader? Would the galaxy be in ashes, would the Jedi still stand? Would Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru still be alive? Would Bail and Breha Organa? Is there a way they all could’ve grown up together and been happy, instead of what now remains?

Will Grogu ever see his father again? The universe is deadly, nothing is certain other than the love Luke feels so strongly in this moment that it echoes his own.

No.

No, he cannot.

“I will do all that I can to keep him safe,” he vows. He sounds like the Jedi who took a little boy from his mother on a dusty planet long ago. He licks his lips and tries again. “But I cannot take him from you.”

“He belongs with his own kind,” the father says, and his voice has a thousand shatter points. He sounds like Han trying to tell little Ben that it’s best he stays with his mother instead of coming with Han on his missions deep into the Imperial remnant. Han never cries during those talks, but Leia does when he is gone, and Luke dies every time Ben fears for his father never coming back. This man is convinced he will never come back. He then shakes his head in desperation. “You must take him, he—I cannot train him, he deserves—”

“He deserves his father.” The father gasps, a tiny little thing. Luke sees the expressions of their audience, of how one woman looks ready to weep, of how another turns away to give them privacy. Of how two others look between themselves and the Force echoes their sympathy. Of all the people here, who still has their parents? Their father? Only Grogu, who reaches up to the man and babbles. Luke hears him clearly, and he cannot help but smile. “His mind is made up. He will not go with me unless you come as well.”

“…I am no Jedi.” Luke can feel his apprehension, his self-doubt. Even ignoring the way his emotions radiate, Luke can see it in his face, in his eyes. His eyes that are fixed on Grogu’s, which still bud with pain and tears. “I…I cannot separate him from his own people, I can’t.”

“Then don’t.” Luke holds out his hand. “As I said, the universe is a dangerous place. He will need all the help he can find to be trained properly, and to be raised.” Still the father hesitates, and Luke swallows. Then he adds in a low murmur, “I lost two men I loved as fathers. I won’t see the same happen to him.”

This breaks the man’s resolve, and his hand clasps strong and shaking around Luke’s. Grogu blinks up between them, and Luke can feel his gratefulness. _Thank you,_ his eyes say. _Thank you for not making me have to choose._

 _Of course,_ Luke smiles back.

The father turns to make his goodbyes, and Artoo finally makes his lazy way to their little group. He asks if there’s possibly enough room for all of them and that they should call Leia or Chewie to come help Luke’s new younglings. Luke rolls his eyes—if anything the father is older than him—and looks back over the bridge. Luke sees how easily the Mandalorian holds his child to his chest as if his arms were built for that strength. How Grogu tucks his little head under his father’s chin and coos.

All is right in the Force, sweet and no longer sad.

No orphansong today, and no other day. Not when Luke still has strength in his body to prevent it.

* * *

Later, when Luke is fielding questions from Leia about destroying an entire platoon of droids and from Ben about a possible new friend, he hears the father speak to the child.

“Ni kyr’tayl gai sa’ad, Grogu.” Then the father kisses Grogu’s little forehead and murmurs his own name.

Luke smiles the entire way home.

**Author's Note:**

> THIS IS NOW CANON I AM IGNORING REAL LIFE LA LA LA LA
> 
> But I hope that wasn’t too corny! I just feel that Luke, who was orphaned twice over and has enough daddy issue baggage to sink a ship with, wouldn’t just callously take Yodito away from Din! The first episode of the next season better open with Luke dropping Grogu off with Din like “Training’s done! Your son couldn’t wait to come back!”


End file.
